


Spirited Away

by LoverofAllThingsExplicit



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Blood and Gore, Camping, Dark Entry Forest, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, Fili is a BAMF, Frodo is adopted, Just Ori though, Kidnapping, Kili is a BAMF, Love, M/M, Magical Pregnancy, Merry is adopted, Mpreg, Nori is a Little Shit, Ones, Pippin is adopted, Pregnancy, Real Place, Rescue, Safety, Sam is adopted, Terror, Thorin's A+ Parenting, Thorin's Not Always an Asshole, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence to Children, Trespassing, Violence, Well some are human, cuz why the hell not, dunno who, just go with it i guess?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoverofAllThingsExplicit/pseuds/LoverofAllThingsExplicit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Sera Holloway wanted was a simple camping trip with her friends and their families. Three days of nothing but swimming, fishing, hiking, S'mores and ghost stories. Just your normal, carefree weekend. That all changed when darkness fell and those ghost stories suddenly became a nightmare, and Sera and her group find themselves in more danger than she could ever possibly imagine.</p><p>(Sorry, still suck at Summaries, but i promise the story will be better)<br/>(Unbeta'd!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so here's some things with this fic.
> 
> 1\. Sera, Ori, Tauriel, Bilbo, Dori, Nori, Frodo, Pippin, Merry and Sam are all human for reasons.
> 
> 2\. I will not kill off the main characters, promise~!
> 
> 3\. I wrote Mpreg and Magical Pregnancy because it will happen in the story. However, any sexual acts within this fic will be consensual, period.
> 
> 4\. This fic may be a bit confusing at times, but I will do my best to make it understandable. This also means that there will be grammatical errors because I am a human, not a machine, and I started writing this fic at 4 in the morning, so please bear with me.

** **

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 

**_ Missing! _ **

 

The following Connecticut residents have been missing for the last several days. This group of people were believed to be going on a camping trip last Friday morning. The adults of the group have since then failed to report in for work the following Monday. Authorities have found three vehicles belonging to three of the adults of the group left abandoned near the Dark Entry Forest. Please contact Local Authorities With any and all information regarding the whereabouts of any persons listed below. 

> **Name**

| 

> **Age**

| 

> **Gender**

| 

> **Date Last Seen**

| 

> **Current Status**  
  
---|---|---|---|---  
  
> Sera Holloway

| 

> 26

| 

> Female

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Tauriel Wood

| 

> 28

| 

> Female

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Dorian “Dori” Rison

| 

> 45

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Norman “Nori” Rison

| 

> 37

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Oriana “Ori” Rison

| 

> 23

| 

> Female

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> William “Bilbo” Baggins

| 

> 42

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Fredrick “Frodo” Baggins

| 

> 8

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Peregrin “Pippin” Took

| 

> 5

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck

| 

> 6

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
> Samwise “Sam” Gamgee

| 

> 8

| 

> Male

| 

> June 19th, 2015

| 

> Whereabouts Unknown  
  
 

* * *

* * *

 

 

_June 18th, 2015_

**2:55 PM**

 

 

Sera Holloway groaned in relief as she pulled her car into the school parking lot, and put it into park and shut off the ignition. With five minutes to spare, she quickly grabbed her purse and climbed out and locked it up before she darted towards the entrance, cursing for the millionth time how shitty the day has been so far. "Oh, shut it, Taur," she groused at her laughing friend as she jogged beside her.

 

"You've got to admit it, this couldn't get much worse," the willowy redhead joked, keeping up with Sera.

 

First off, the power went out in her run-down, 3 room house in the middle of the night, and as a result her alarm clock never went off and she and her best friend and roommate Tauriel Wood both ended up late to work this morning. Unfortunately, her boss wasn't so sympathetic, and ended up giving her an extra workload to make up for her "failure to plan."

 

During her 10 minute lunch break, she phoned the electrician, who told her he won't be able to fix the problem--faulty wiring, he'd said--unless she and her roommate could contribute $1500 up front, something she thought was an absolutely ridiculous price. She had told him such, and the sleaze had enough nerve to make a rather poorly hidden offer on how she could get it paid for. Pissed off, Sera just as bluntly told the perv to stick it were the sun don't shine.

 

Then there was the fire in the conference room. Some idiot was too lazy to step outside the office for their smoke break, and instead of making sure it was out, they dumped it into the shredded paper bin. Needless to say, the sprinklers were set off and the company ended up sending everyone home for the day, and Sera's brand new suit was ruined in the ensuing mad rush out the doors.

 

Once both she and Tauriel returned home, they found out that a water pipe had burst in the basement. Thank God Tauriel knew how to shut the water off before it got worse, but the damage was still done and the basement would need to be pumped out. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Sera snapped, wringing out her wet suit once more.

 

"Sera, relax, we've got the day off tomorrow, and we're going to do nothing for the next three days but relax and enjoy the company of our good friends and four adorable kids our annual camping trip."

 

It was then that they both realized they had promised Bilbo Baggins that they would pick up said children from their last day of school that day. Glancing wide-eyed at their phones confirmed that they had less than an hour to get into dry clothing, grab their camping gear and be out the door.

 

Sera tore through her room, tugging off her ruined suit and discarding it on her chair in the corner of her small room. She really didn’t have room for it, but she loved the bold colors of it, and kept it regardless. She pulled open her dresser drawers, and grabbed about three weeks’ worth of undergarments and four pairs of PJ’s, knowing they were going to have to stay with one of their friends for a little while until they could get everything taken care of with their shitty house.

 

After stuffing them into an oversized backpack, Sera began to rifle through her closet for shirts and pants. Deciding on a couple of tank tops, 5 t-shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of short shorts, and 3 pairs of sweat pants, she rolled them all up in order to save room in her bag and stuffed them inside, grunting and tugging to close the flap.

 

She heard Tauriel snigger behind her, and smirked herself, giving her the middle fingered-salute. “What? Never know when you’ll need a fresh pair of clothes,” she reasoned, standing up straight and stretching. Tauriel made a noise of agreement, gesturing to her own stuffed backpack. “Okay, the tents, sleeping bags, fishing poles, and non-perishables are in the trunk,” she informed her. “All we have to do is get the kids and head over to Bag End, then it’s vay-cay time!”

 

Sera giggled a little, actually cracking an actual smile for the first time today. “Okay, let’s . . . oh, shit! We gotta get a move on, now!” she groaned, glancing once more at her phone for the time. 22 minutes before school is over. Snatching up their bags, the two friends ran out the door and to the waiting car before Sera peeled out of the driveway, probably breaking a few traffic laws in order to get to the Elementary School.

 

Which brings them to now. Finally spotting the first classroom on the list, Sera peeked in and smiled brightly when she heard two familiar cries of joy greet her.

 

“Aunt Sera! Aunt Taur!” Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee scrambled up from their places on the carpet before they remembered their manners and looked at their teacher. When she gave them a smile and nodded to them, they hurried over and grabbed their backpacks and rushed into Sera and Tauriel’s waiting arms.

 

Sera let out a sigh as she hugged Frodo close, kissing his black curls before switching places with Tauriel and giving the same treatment to the blond boy. “You guys ready to get your younger brothers?” Tauriel asked cheerfully

 

Receiving enthusiastic nods, Sera chuckled and waved goodbye to the teacher, leading the boys out of the room and down the hall to Merry and Pippin’s split grade class. “Sounds like you guys are excited to go camping,” she noted, listening to their excited chatter.

 

Frodo and Sam nodded sharply. “Yep!” Sam said. “We’re going camping, and fishing, and hiking, and—“

 

“And Ghost Stories!” Frodo cheered, earning a small shudder from his gentler brother. Seeing this, Frodo placed an arm around Sam’s shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry, Sam,” he reassured. “They’re only stories, they’re not gonna hurt you.”

 

Sera and Tauriel shared a look as they quietly awed at the moment between two of the four foster brothers Bilbo took in 2 years ago. Sera grinned brightly the moment they reached Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took’s class from their excited shrieks and Ori’s exasperated laughter. “Merry, Pippin, I know we’re spending the weekend camping, but not yet, so you need to hold still so we can get your backpack’s on,” the Student Teacher told them gently but firmly.

 

Sera stifled her laughter behind her hand, and held up a finger to her lips before she tiptoed into the classroom. She spotted the slightly frazzled kindergartner/1st grade teacher by her desk, and motioned for her not to give her away before she pointed at Ori Rison.

 

The teacher winked, and began to help the rest of her students pack up for home for the final time that school year. Carefully, Sera snuck up behind her little mousy friend, and drummed her fingers up her spine from where she bent over to help Pippin strap his pack on.

 

Ori let out a yelp and whirled around, grabbing her chest in fright and eyes wide. Sera began to laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, I’m sorry Ori, I just couldn’t help it,” she let out, hugging her friend.

 

Ori let out a huff, but grinned anyways and hugged her friend back, her face red in embarrassment as the teacher and the other kids laughed. “Let’s hope you don’t plan on scaring me the rest of the weekend,” she replied, stepping back so Sera could be bombarded by the youngest of Bilbo’s brood. Grinning, Sera bent down so she could scoop up Pippin into her arms, kissing his cheek soundly as he hugged her neck tight.

 

Tauriel came in with Frodo and Sam, grinning widely as she hugged Merry, lifting him into her own arms. “Did you all have a good last day of school?” Tauriel asked their charges. They all once again nodded and all three surrounding her began to chatter once more about all the fun they were going to have camping with their favorite babysitters.

 

Sera grinned fondly at them when she felt Pippin tug her brunette hair gently. “Auntie Sera?” he asked excitedly. “Are you gonna stay the night with us?” he asked, smiling widely.

 

Sera nodded her head, making a noise of agreement. “Of course, and so is Auntie Tauriel, and Miss Ori, and her brothers. Then we’re all going camping tomorrow!” Pippin threw his arms in the air, cheering, and Sera laughed, so happy to see the child as the bright little star he was now instead of the withdrawn and sad toddler he was before.

 

Frodo Baggins was the only child actually blood-related to Bilbo Baggins. Merry and Pippin were related to Frodo through their mothers, while Sam parents were Bilbo’s friends since his college days. It was through an accident involving a drunk driver and a rickety bridge that left all four children without their parents. Had Bilbo not stepped in when he did and taken in the babies, they would have all been split up and sent away to different homes.

 

Sera, Tauriel and Ori had been there since their births, and helped Bilbo adjust to life as a single parent of four children. All the children had attached themselves to Sera’s heart, but Pippin had become the closest to her, as she had the same dark locks and green eyes as his mother.

 

Sera jerked from her musings when she heard the final bell release the students upon the world, and grinned at Ori. “Meet you at Bilbo’s?” she asked her. Ori smiled and nodded, packing up her things. “Yep. I’m gonna head home and grab my stuff, and we’ll take Dori’s car,” she replied.

 

Nodding, Sera turned to the rest of her crew. “Alright, guys, let’s get going,” she said cheerfully. Tauriel smiled, and took Merry and Sam’s hand, while Frodo came over and took ahold of Sera’s free hand. “Vacation Time starts now.”

 

_June 18th, 2015_

**10:42 PM**

 

Sera snorted a laugh at the latest of Nori's crude joke, taking a sip of her beer. “Seriously, Nori, can you refrain from that kind of language in front of the kids this weekend?” Bilbo’s slightly exasperated voice cut through the laughter.

 

The man in question lifted shaggy brows at Bilbo, and gave a slightly sheepish shrug, though Sera knew he didn’t mean it. “Alright, no worries,” he assured them. “. . . I’ll make sure they’re not in eashot.”

 

Dori tutted at his younger brother, shaking his head and sharing a look with his friend while Tauriel and Ori giggled at their antics. With the kids finally to bed, the adults were sitting at Bilbo’s large kitchen table, enjoying a drink while going over the final plans. “Speaking of,” Tauriel started, looking over at Nori. “Where did you say this place was again?”

 

Nori grinned, leaning forward a little to pull out a folded up map from his back pocket. This caused Sera to start giggling once again. “You carry around a map in your ass?” she joked. Nori gave her a saucy wink. “You’d be surprised at what goes there.”

 

Ori began to choke on her beer slightly, blushing at her brother’s crude language while Bilbo and Dori facepalmed, but that didn’t cover their snorts of amusement. Tauriel wrinkled her nose a little, cocking a brow at the unfolded map in front of them. “I am so not touching that map now.”

 

Sera patted Ori’s back gently, and smirked. “I guess I asked for that one,” she mused, then furrowed her brows a little. “Wait a minute . . .” She peered closer at the map, causing everyone around her to lean forward as well.

 

“Nori . . . are you suggesting . . .” she trailed off, looking up at him with wide eyes. Nori shrugged. “What? It’s a perfect place to go camping!”

 

Dori took a sharp breath. “Nori, no, the Dark Entry Forest is no place to take children camping,” he said adamantly. “Not to mention illegal!”

 

Nori once again shrugged. “Only if you get caught,” he said. “Look, I’ve been through there a dozen times before. There is nothing haunted about those woods. Well, the trees can be creepy, but what forest isn’t at night?”

 

Tauriel contemplated the map, a frown marring her features. “I don’t know, I’ve heard the stories about that place.”

 

Sera shook her head. “Well, what local hasn’t heard the stories of Dudleytown?” she replied. “It can’t be all that bad, besides, we’ll be in a large enough group, and none of the kids will be going anywhere alone. Or anyone else, for that matter,” she said, glancing around at the others.

 

Bilbo and Dori both wore concerned expressions, Dori mostly over the fact that Nori blatantly trespassed on private property, and Bilbo for his kids. Ori looked a little frightened, but gave Sera a reassuring smile. “Well, if you and Nori are in it, so am I,” she announced. “I’m not afraid . . . well, not that much,” she amended. Sera gave her friend a one-armed hug, and Nori gave his baby sister a wink.

 

“Well, what’s the worst that could happen, the cops come out in the middle of nowhere and arrest us all?” Tauriel asked rhetorically. “Let’s do it.” Sera nodded her head to her roommate, then turned to Bilbo and Dori. “Well, it’s just you two, and as the seniors of the group, you do have the most say,” she pointed out.

 

Dori and Bilbo shared one last look before they both sighed and nodded their heads. “Alright, we’ll go to the Dark Entry Forest. But,” Bilbo said, cutting off any cheers. “My boys are to be watched like hawks, and at the first sign of anything strange, we leave and go somewhere else, alright?”

 

Sera, Tauriel, Nori and Ori all nodded their heads. “No problem, you know we won’t let the boys out of our sights,” Nori said. “Plus, I’ll be carrying my knives, just on the off chance.”

 

Sera let out a snort and looked at her friend skeptically. “Nori, even if I actually believed in that kind of stuff, do you really think knives would be able to fight off demons or ghosts or whatever the hell there isn’t out there?” she asked.

 

Nori looked at her seriously. “Not saying they will, but if there’s any wierdos out there besides our group, they may think twice about fuckin’ with us.” The group fell silent at that, remembering when they had received news that Nori had been jumped outside a bar one night and was laying in the hospital. Never again had Nori ever gone anywhere without some sort of weapon on him.

 

Dori cleared his throat after a moment, and Sera glanced up at the silver haired man. “So it’s decided then. Everyone up and ready to be out the door by 7 am?” the group all nodded.

 

Bilbo chuckled. “Well then, I suggest we all get in a good night’s sleep before we deal with four cranky kids in the morning.” Sera chuckled and finished her beer quickly. “I’m gonna get ready for bed then,” she told everyone, standing up and stretching. “See you in the morning.”

 

After everyone bid each other goodnight, Sera, Ori and Tauriel headed off to the large spare bedroom they’d be sharing to change. There were two beds that fit inside, and when Sera cracked open the door, she smiled fondly to see Pippin and crawled into her designated bed. “Hey Pip,” she called softly, knowing the little boy was still awake.

 

As Tauriel flipped on the light, Pippin sat up sheepishly, rubbing his eyes against the brightness. “I had a bad dream,” he said quietly, and Sera felt her heart breaking for the little red-haired boy. “It’s okay, Pippin, you can stay with me tonight,” she cooed gently. “Why don’t you run and grab your bear while we change, okay Munckin?”

 

Pippin grinned, relieved, and pushed back the covers and hopped off the bed to give Sera’s legs a hug. Ori and Tauriel smiled at the sight, and Sera couldn’t help but grin back. “Be right back,” Pippin promised, dashing out of the room.

 

Sera sighed a little before she began to strip out of her clothes and changed into light cotton pants and her sleeping tank, deciding to keep on her bra since there was a little boy that would be staying with with her for the night.

 

“You know he absolutely adores you,” Ori commented, already dressed in her matching shirt and sleep shorts. Sera smiled over at her friend and prepared the bed for her and Pippin. “And I love him to pieces,” she replied. “You know if things were better, I’d adopt him in a heartbeat.”

 

Tauriel, in a light blue nightie, gave a soft sigh. “Too bad we have a shit house with no electricity and busted water pipes.”

 

“And questionable neighbors,” Ori put in, living only three streets away from Tauriel and Sera.

 

“And I couldn’t separate the boys from each other over so long a distance,” Sera finished. Bilbo’s wonderful home with six bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a large backyard garden was outside of their town on the opposite side of Sera. Economically, driving back and forth on a day to day basis just isn’t possible, and that would leave Pippin only a few minutes every day to see his foster brothers at school. That just wouldn’t be fair to any of them.

 

Sighing once more, Sera put on a smile. “But that’s the interesting thing about life,” she said. “You neve know where it might take you, and who will be there at the end.”

 

Tauriel gave a snicker and climbed into the bed next to Ori. “Is that wishful thinking for a lover I’m hearing?” she teased, then laughed when Sera chucked her pillow at her friend, grimacing. “Oh, stop it,” Sera snorted, shaking her head. “So Evan was a bastard that cheated on me the first chance he got when I told him I wasn’t interested in sex. ‘A man has needs, you’d know that if you weren’t such a prude,’” Sera put air quotations around the phrase her ex had used as his excuse before she snorted. “Ass.”

 

Ori huffed out a breath, shaking her head mournfully. “And I’m the one who introduced you,” she lamented. Tauriel patted Ori’s shoulder. “Hey, how could you know he’d think with the head in his pants and not his shoulders?”

 

Sera nodded her head, clearing her throat around the lump that formed there as she thought about the betrayal that still felt raw even after 9 months had passed since that disastrous relationship. “It’s nobody’s fault but Evan’s, so why dwell on it?” Sera said, trying to lighten the mood. “Besides, it’s unlikely I’ll meet the guy that can make my knickers damp,” she winked.

 

Ori let out a squawk, and began to laugh along with Tauriel. “Well, hopefully he’ll be cute, and know how to treat a lady right,” Ori said, gasping for breath.

 

"What’re ya laughin’ at?” Pippin asked curiously from the doorway, clutching Berry, his stuffed teddy bear, to his chest. The sight of the little boy sobered the three women up slightly, though they shared amused looks with each other. “Nothing Pip,” Sera told him, motioning for him to climb up onto the bed.

 

“We were just talking about my future husband,” she continued. Pippin nodded his head, snuggling up close to Sera. “Well, he better be nice to you, or I’ll bite him,” he said seriously. The three adults began to giggle at that, amusement and love for the child’s protectiveness welling up.

 

“Well I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that anytime soon,” Sera assured him. “For now though, we better get some sleep, or you’ll be super cranky tomorrow when we go on our camping trip.” She reached over and flicked off the light switch, making sure to leave the small nightlight on for the little boy.

 

“Good night, guys, goodnight Pippin,” she called out, hugging the boy close as she closed her eyes.

 

“Goodnight,” she heard in response. She felt Pippin snuggle even closer, and smiled when she heard him whisper, “Love you, Mommy.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics at the end of the chapter are from Cry Little Sister by Seasons After. This is by far my favorite remake of the original song~

_June 19 th, 2015_

_The stone floor beneath her feet was cool and smooth, not a rock or sharp pebble to bruise or cut her bare feet as her way she slowly made her way through the corridor. The passage was dim, lit only by torches anchored into the surrounding marble and stone walls, but she didn’t fear losing her footing, oh no, for she had walked this way before._

_For quite some time now she had traversed the same corridor, the same path, and the same room awaiting for her at the end. Smiling faintly, she sped up a little, her wispy cobalt blue gown billowing slightly in the breeze she created in her wake. Doors to various homes were dispersed among the corridor, but she didn’t stop before any. There was only one destination she had in mind, and continued onward._

_The corridor brightened by increments as she continued, before finally coming to the end to reveal an ornate door. She lifted the latch, and entered into a sitting room. She did not stop there, but tuned and entered another smaller corridor that opened into a larger chamber. The chamber itself was lit only by candles and moonlight through the open doors to a balcony she knew overlooked the side of a glorious mountainside and its surrounding regions._

_For a moment, she paused, cocking her head to the side a bit as she stopped in the middle of the chamber. It looked just as it always had before. A fireplace carved into the stone wall was unlit, for while it was cool, there was not enough chill in the air to really need one lit. Near the fireplace was a large fur rug, soft to the touch were she inclined to do so. It was massive, so large that Sera had a feeling she would not touch any of the sides were she to lay down upon it._

_Next was a large oaken desk with neat stacks of papers, a few scattered ornaments of various precious stones, and a few candles. The chair, a matching oaken armchair with dark blue padding and lighter blue and silver geometric patterns swirled on the fabric, was pulled back as if someone had left the chair just recently._

_Her eyes glanced at the large bed dominating most of the room, amassed with soft furs, delicate looking sheets, and large pillows. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as she had unbidden desires rush through her mind. Shaking her head to clear her head of such thoughts when she heard the faintest sound coming from the balcony._

_Giving a soft sigh, she walked slowly to the balcony doors, and paused once more as she gazed at the figure before her. His back was turned to her, his hands resting on the stone railing with his head bent slightly forward. She could see traces of bare, golden skin, but what captured her gaze at the moment were the deep golden wings protruding from their back._

_They were a magnificent thing, only a few had their coloring, she knew. They were tucked against their skin, but she knew what they looked like when fully revealed, stretching nearly as wide as she was tall. Despite their golden coloring within their plumage, she always thought of them as those of a raven. Strong, beautiful, bold, she very much wanted to touch them, and she carefully stepped forward to do so, her hand outstretched before her._

_Gently, she stroked her finger along the edge of the wing, from where skin met feather down to the tip, and she felt him jolt slightly in surprise before he gave a hum of appreciation. A small smile curved her lips as she continued stroking. She felt the muscles bunch in his shoulders before he relaxed, and he stood straight, taller than she, and she saw that his hair, held back by a clasp with his family’s insignia, was just as golden._

_Dropping her hand, she stepped back slightly, and watched with unabashed fascination as the wings she so admired began to glow and shrink. Within seconds, they were gone, the only reminder that they existed was in the form of a tattoo extending from shoulder to shoulder and sweeping down to just below the waistband of his trousers._

_He turned slowly, lips curving up in a smirk she had grown to know and enjoy. The beads clasped at the end of his moustache clacked and swayed slightly as he turned to rest his cobalt gaze upon her and stretched out a hand, beckoning her towards him. Stepping forward, she raised her hands to be clasped by his, and was gently pulled forward into his arms._

_They wrapped around her as if she were the most precious thing to him, and she breathed in his unique scent, closing her eyes. She felt fingertips underneath her chin, fingers she knew were tipped with claws only moments before, and raised her face to meet his. She opened her eyes slowly to meet his, and felt his thumb brush gently across her lower lip, almost feather light in their touch._

_“Soon,” he whispered quietly._

_“Soon what?” she whispered back just as quietly. “What is soon? When will you tell me your name? Or what you are?”_

_He chuckled quietly, and brushed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Soon enough,” he replied, a smirk playing his features. “You must have patience for such things. You will know when the time is right.”_

_She blinked slowly and nodded her head before she cocked her head, listening. Then she gave a grin before looking up at him in apology. “I have to go,” she told him, stepping out of his arms._

_He sighed softly, but nodded in understanding, a soft smile gracing his golden features. “Until we meet again, my Azyungal.”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**6:19 am**

 

“Okay, Frodo, did you remember to pack your pajamas?” Bilbo asked his nephew as he and his foster brothers bounced around the living room at an ungodly hour.

 

Frodo managed to freeze long enough to answer his uncle that yes, he did remember, and he helped Sam and Merry with theirs too.

 

Sera stifled a yawn and blinked herself awake as much as possible as she went through the motions of being a functioning human being before she stretched and took a sip of coffee. Finally, she had enough caffeine in her system to actually focus on her surroundings. Good thing too, because she was glomped by a little red-haired ball of energy.

 

“Good morning, Auntie Sera,” Pippin greeted cheerfully, beaming up at her. Sera managed to catch herself before she spilled her hot drink all over the child, and gave him an indulgent smile. “Mornin’, sweetie,” she replied, setting her drink on the counter. She leaned down to give Pippin a hug, and kissed his cheek. “How long have you guys all been up?” she asked the four youngsters curiously.

 

Tauriel ran a hand through her wet hair as she came out of the bathroom, finger-combing it. “They’ve been up since about 5,” she answered for them when they began to giggle. “I know because I could hear Merry whispering about waking us up so we can go sooner.”

 

At this, Merry had the grace to look slightly sheepish, though Frodo and Sam giggled again. “Pippin woke up right after Ori did, and we got coffee going.”

 

Ori gave a slight wave as she headed towards her brothers’ room, already dressed in her favorite cardigan and mugs of coffee in hand for them.

 

Bilbo smiled apologetically at Sera. “By the time I woke up, they’d already managed to wheedle Tauriel and Ori into waking up Nori and Dori.”

 

Sera yawned again before she stood up straight and took another sip of coffee. “Well, Dori’s normally an early riser anyway, but we all know that if we don’t wake up Nori now, his lazy behind will stay in bed until noon, and we wouldn’t want to do that to the kiddies now, would we?” she teased lightly, then laughed when they began to protest Nori sleeping in.

 

“I’m only kidding guys, we won’t let Nori sleep that long. Now, I’m going to take a quick shower if that’s alright Bilbo?” she asked him, and when she got a nod in reply she smiled. “Then we can figure out who’s riding with whom.”

 

Tauriel chuckled and snagged Sera’s coffee, finishing it while her friend scoffed and stuck her tongue out at her. “’Whom?’ Someone’s way too formal in the morning,” she teased.

 

Sera rolled her eyes at her before she headed towards the bedroom and grabbed fresh underwear, a t-shirt, a pair of jeans and socks. “I’d rather be formal in front of the kids than my usual grouchy self,” she called over her shoulder, smirking when she heard them laugh.

 

As she took her quick shower, Sera went over the dream as it played through her mind again. For the last year or so, she’d been dreaming about the same blue-eyed being with the golden raven’s wings. Annoyingly, he rarely answered her questions, more like dodged them, but he was always polite, and never pressured into anything she didn’t want, which was . . . frustrating, surprisingly.

 

Sera’s few relationships had ended before they ever got to that stage of actually having sex, and she had never felt a connection to any of them. Oh, she tried to make it work, but cards and flowers and dates to expensive restaurants could only last so long, and after being told that sex was not on the menu tended to the breaker right there.

 

Despite feeling a sense of physical desire, she also felt this base need to be with him, as if she was meant to be by his side day and night. Giving a soft snort, Sera towel-dried her hair before throwing it into a messy bun and finished dressing for their camping trip. Once she was sure she was ready, she dropped her dirty towel into the hamper and bagged up her laundry to be done when they returned Sunday night. She grabbed her bag, Pippin’s bear, and slipped on her shoes before clicking off the light and closing the door.

 

She nodded to Nori and Dori as they finished up their coffee before taking them to the sink and rinsing them out. “Okay, so I call dibs on riding with Sera,” Nori said, smirking.

 

Dori rolled his eyes at him. “You only want to ride in her car because you don’t like my music,” Dori sniffed.

 

“Of course, you listen to old people music,” the middle Rison replied without missing a beat. Tauriel, Ori and Sera started laughing while Dori huffed, though even he and Bilbo were wearing a small smile. “Alright the, I can ride with Dori,” Ori offered.

 

“Which leaves me with Bilbo and the kids in the minivan,” Tauriel finished, smiling as the kids cheered. “We’ll stop at a fast food place on the way, and we’ll follow behind you two since Nori’s got the map.”

 

Bilbo nodded. “Alright, that sounds agreeable,” he said, then clapped his hands. “Alright kids, let’s get loaded up so we can get this show on the road!”

 

Sera handed Pippin his bear before he dashed out with his foster brothers, then headed towards the front door. “So the Kids are crashing with us girls tonight, then with you men tomorrow, and we’ll split them for Sunday?” she asked once more.

 

“Right,” Bilbo replied, shutting off appliances and locking the windows and doors behind him. Sera nodded, then looked at Nori, smirking. “Alright, let’s get rolling then,” she said cheerfully.

 

Tauriel snorted from where she and Ori were helping the kids into the minivan. “If we didn’t know for a fact that all three men in attendance were gay, I’d be a little worried about your glee,” she teased. Ori began to giggle, covering her mouth as she blushed.

 

Sera winked. “Hey, what happens on a road trip stays on a road trip,” she tossed back before sliding into the driver’s seat and turning the ignition. Nori laughed at her response before climbing into the passenger’s side and tugging on his seatbelt. “So, how have you been really?” he asked her once he sobered up slightly.

 

Sera pulled on her own seatbelt as she waited for the other vehicles to give their honks in signal of being ready to go. She made her way out of the driveway and down the road before she answered him. “Honestly? I’m a mixture of nervous energy, like I’m waiting for something to happen,” she told him slowly. “I mean, you know I’ve been having the same dream for a year now, and I keep feeling like something major’s going to happen, and soon.”

 

Nori eyed her in concern as he pulled out the map and set it on the dashboard for later use. “And you think it’s gonna be a bad thing?” he said. It was put as a question, but Sera knew her friend well enough to know that it was a statement. “Exactly,” she answered. “But I’m not gonna let it bother me this weekend. Nope, this weekend is to be nothing but fun and relaxation.”

 

She shot her friend a small grin, and returned her eyes to the road. “No dreams about hunky blonds with golden wings and fear of trouble coming my way is going to ruin this vacation.”

 

Nori returned her smile, but she knew that her friend wasn’t fooled. “You know if you ever need anything, you can always tell us,” he told her seriously. “We’re all practically family. Hell, Dori and I used to babysit you and Tauriel when you were still in diapers.”

 

At that Sera had to give a laugh. “Y’know, the thought of you and Dori changing my diapers doesn’t sound all that reassuring,” she told him, turning into the drive through. Nori chuckled. “Nah, but I knew it’d put you in a better mood, so mission accomplished.”

 

Sera gave him a little salute, and ordered a breakfast sandwich and hash browns for and Nori to split. “So, how’s work been for you?” she asked him. Nori shrugged a shoulder. “Been work,” he replied. “I test security systems, they jump my ass when I tell them what’s wrong and won’t tell them how I beat it, then they pay me and the whole process repeats.”

 

Sera nodded in understanding. Not many people knew it, but Nori was a genius when it came to sneaking in and out of places. She even had her suspicions that he was the one behind a rash of breaking and entering in neighboring counties a few years ago. If it hadn’t been for Dori putting his foot down when he did, Nori probably would’ve been sent to prison long ago and Sera wouldn’t have one of her best friends sitting in her car munching quick processed food that she paid for.

 

“Well, hopefully something better will come along for you,” she tried to cheer him up. She knew Nori disliked his job, as unappreciative as his employers were most of the time. “I’m holding out for good luck for all of us. We could use some right about now.”

 

Nori nodded, swallowing a bite of his food, then sighed. “Well, you keep on hopin’, Princess,” he said, using his childhood nickname for her. “I’m going to listen to some of your good music.” With that, he pressed the button on her music player and plugged in her iPod she left in the car specifically for long drives, and scrolled through her music before he made an appreciative noise and selected it.

 

Sera smirked at his choice, before she began to sing to the music quietly, deliberately ignoring the nerves fluttering through her stomach as she drove along the highway towards the Dark Entry Forest.

 

_“Thou shall not cry!_

_Last fire will rise, behind those eyes_

_Black house will rock, blind boys don't lie!_

_Immortal fear, that voice so clear_

_Through broken walls, that scream I hear!_

_Cry little sister (thou shall not fall)_

_Come, come to your brother (thou shall not die)_

_Unchain me sister (thou shall not fear)_

_Love is with you brother (thou shall not kill) . . ._

_Blue masquerade, strangers look up_

_When will they learn, this loneliness_

_Temptation heat, beats like a drum_

_Deep in your veins, I will not lie!_

_Cry little sister (thou shall not fall)_

_Come, come to your brother (thou shall not die)_

_Unchain me sister (thou shall not fear)_

_Love is with you brother (thou shall not kill) . . ._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will start to pick up soon, promise~!


	3. Chapter 3

_June 19 th, 2015_

**11:32 am**

Sera grinned as she shut off the ignition and climbed out of the car, stretching on her toes and throwing her arms over her head. She groaned in relief when she heard and felt joints popping, and sighed before she turned around and grabbed the keys to unlock the trunk. She heard the two other vehicles pull up, and gave a quiet laugh as she heard cheering coming through the open windows on Bilbo’s mini-van.

 

“Sounds like the rugrats are wound up,” Nori chuckled as he helped unload the trunk. Sera shot him a little grin. “You know it,” she returned. “Just be thankful you’re not the one that’s gonna have four kids under the age of ten hyped up on s’mores sleeping in your tent.”

 

Nori gave a mock shudder, then hoisted the large tent and air mattress bags over his shoulder. Sera pulled out the coolers she and Tauriel loaded earlier and placed then on the ground before she snagged their backpacks.

 

“Goodness Sera, did you pack enough in there?” Dori asked teasingly as he came over to help unload. Tauriel looked over from where she and Bilbo were unloading the kids and their gear. “Well we’re out of the house for a few days because of the water damage, remember?” she called.

 

Ori shook her head, frowning lightly. “You really had a hard day yesterday,” she commented, fiddling with her own pack. Nori glanced over at his baby sister, smirking. “Did you pack your art kit?” he asked knowingly.

 

Ori blushed, wrinkling her nose at her brother. “So what if I did?” she asked loftily. Sera chuckled, and strapped on her bag. “Hey, no worries. I’m sure Ori can get some great sketches of the woods and maybe a few of what’s left of Dudleytown,” she said.

 

Tauriel smiled from where she and Bilbo pulled out tents. “As long as you don’t spend the entire trip sketching,” she teased lightly. Ori stuck her tongue out at Tauriel, laughing. “Relax, I won’t. I will actually socialize on this trip.”

 

Sera chuckled at her friend, and handed Tauriel her pack. “Okay, so we’ll start with the hike first and unpack when we return?” she asked the group.

 

Bilbo and Dori waved. “Oh, you guys go ahead and start, we’ll set up the tents for when you get back, alright?” Dori suggested.

 

Sera frowned a little. “But that doesn’t seem very fair to you at all,” she replied. Bilbo gave a slight grin. “That’s okay, really. You can show the kids Dudleytown and we’ll have everything done by the time you come back.”

 

“Uncle Bilbo’s scared of the ghosts and stuff there,” Frodo piped in, giggling. Nori sniggered, which caused Tauriel to roll her eyes and elbow him in the ribs. Sera smiled a little and nodded her head to Bilbo and Dori. “Alright, but I get to cook tonight,” she said.

 

Bilbo chuckled and gave her a little salute while Dori waved them off. “Don’t worry, it’s only, what, northwest from here?”

 

Ori nodded, looking at the map she swiped from Nori when he wasn’t looking. “Yep, not too far from here, about a mile and a half that way,” she said, pointing towards her left. Bilbo looked in the direction, and nodded his head. “Right, Dori’s got the spare compass, so we’ll catch up with you all as soon as we figure out how who’s tents are who’s.”

 

Tauriel chuckled. “You sure you don’t want one of us to stay and help?” she offered. “After all, we’ll be taking the night tour later on anyways.”

 

Dori pursed his lips as he looked at Tauriel. “No,” he said finally. “It’s alright, we’ll manage it on our own. We’ll just remember to open one tent at a time. You all go and have some fun with the kids, tents will be put up and lunch should be cooking on the fire when you return,” he smiled, waving them off.

 

Sera smiled and nodded her head to Dori. “Alright Dori, we’ll be back soon.” She turned to the others, snorting as she spotted Nori and Ori tugging the map carefully between the two of them. ”Okay, Ori’s Keeper of the Map,” she declared, smirking when Ori fist-pumped, grinning. Nori made a face at Sera and pouted slightly before he hefted a giggling Sam into his arms. “Why does Ori get the map? It’s mine anyways,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

 

Sera shared a look with Tauriel and Ori before she started giggling. “She’s the least likely to lose it or rip it,” she said, taking ahold of Merry and Pippin’s hands. Tauriel smiled and offered a hand to Frodo, who took it instantly before he sought out Ori’s hand with his free one.

 

Nori nodded his head, chuckling. “True . . . but we all know I’d find it again eventually.” He said, headed off along a dry path among the fallen leaves. Sera followed behind him and Sam, Merry and Pippin practically bouncing in their excitement. “Are we going to see ghosts?” Frodo asked curiously.

 

Nori shrugged, letting Sam down from his arms so he could walk with Frodo. “No idea,” he said honestly. “There’s been tons of stories about Dudleytown and the Dark Entry Forest. I heard someone got bit by something that attacked them in the middle of the night.”

 

Sam gulped loudly, his eyes widening. “B-but that’s just a story, right?” he asked nervously. At Sera’s look, Nori quickly nodded his head. “Oh yeah, don’t worry squirt, it’s just a story. There’s nothin’ out here that’s gonna hurt you as long as we’re with you.”

 

“That doesn’t mean you get to go off on your own, mind you,” Sera warned them. “If you want to go exploring or even have to go potty, you need to have an adult with you at all times, okay?” She bit back a snicker when the boys all groaned. “Do we have to have someone watch us pee?” Merry whined. “That’s gross!”

 

Ori chuckled as she glanced at her map. “No, you just need one of us near you just in case, okay buddy?” Merry nodded, and Sera briefly wondered if that was because she was the assistant teacher for him or if it was because he was closer to Ori than he said.

 

All of the boys had come to terms with their parents’ deaths, but Sera knew from the few times she and Tauriel babysat the kids over the night that Merry occasionally cried in his sleep wondering where his mom and dad were. Ori was often there to help Merry in school when he had anxiety attacks at being separated from his foster brothers, something she knew Bilbo and everyone else would be eternally grateful for.

 

“So,” Tauriel asked as they got closer, breaking Sera from her thoughts. “What should we be looking for?” Sera smiled. “If what I’ve heard about this place is correct, we should find a few stone walls and pits that used to be the cellars to some of the homes,” she replied, glancing around the ground carefully so as not to misstep.

 

Nori suddenly called up from the front. “I think I found it,” he announced, stopping atop a hill and looking down. Sera grinned down at the boys when they cheered, and motioned for them to hurry over to Nori, laughing. She, Tauriel and Ori followed them, though at a slower pace than what the boys ran at.

 

“C’mon, hurry up Aunt Sera,” Pippin called impatiently, bouncing on his toes next to Merry. Sharing a look with her friends, they slowed down and took exaggerated steps up the hill, causing the boys to groan. Finally, they made it to the top and collapsed, laughing. “Oh man, remind me never to walk so slowly up a hill again,” Tauriel puffed out, chuckling.

 

“Hey Taur, don’t do that again,” Nori replied cheekily, laughing and dodging the hand she half-heartedly swung at his legs. Nori snorted and grabbed her hand to haul her to her feet, smirking. Sera rolled back onto her feet before she helped up Ori, who grimaced. “Wet leaves . . . ick!” She brushed off her behind, sticking her tongue out at the kids when they giggled.

 

Sera shook her head, smiling. “Alright, let’s go check out what’s left of Dudleytown,” she said in a spooky voice, winking at Sam when he gulped. “Don’t worry, we’ll be sticking together Sam,” Frodo told his foster brother, noting his look.

 

Nori clapped his hands once, and motioned for them to wait. “I’ll go down first, the hill’s kinda steep,” he announced. “I’ll help the kiddies down once I find some safe footing.”

 

Tauriel chuckled. “And what about us?” she asked. Nori just gave her a shit-eating grin before he suddenly scooped her up in his arms. “Let’s go, milady,” he said in a syrupy tone before he began to work his way down the hill.

 

Tauriel yelped when Nori lifted her up, and slapped his shoulder, huffing despite her grin. “Cheeky little . . .” she trailed off, being mindful of the youngsters laughing at the top of the hill. Sera laughed at their antics, then turned to Ori. “He’s your brother,” she said, shaking her head in amusement. Ori grinned in reply, nodding her head. “And I fully admit being his sister,” she replied.

 

As soon as Nori reached the bottom of the hill, something Sera was a little surprised he managed to do in one piece, he set Tauriel down and gave her a small bow, which she returned with a sarcastic grin. Nori jogged back about halfway up the hill, and motioned for Merry to go first. “I’ll take you down to Tauriel, and you wait with her, alright bud?” he asked.

 

Merry gave a firm nod, grinning, before he ran down the hill to Nori, who caught ahold of the boy before he could make a tumble. Giggling, Merry held onto Nori’s arm until his feet were firmly planted on the ground beside Tauriel once more. Next came Sam, who clung tightly to Nori’s hand. He let out a relieve breath when he joined Tauriel and Merry, and waved up at the others, grinning.

 

Sera smiled and waved back, and looked at Frodo and Pippin. “Alright, we’ll help you guys down the hill,” she said, taking ahold of Frodo’s hand. “Pippin, take Frodo’s other hand and take one of Ori’s, that way we can catch one of you if you start to fall, alright?”

 

“Okay Auntie Sera,” the two children replied together, giggling. Sera took Frodo’s hand, keeping a gentle yet firm grip on his hand, and nodded to Ori the moment they were all ready. Nori waited halfway up the hill, just in case. When they reached halfway, Nori began to walk down with them, keeping an eye out for sticks or exposed roots that could be a potential hazard.

 

Finally, they were all at the bottom of the steep hill, and Sera pointed out a part of a crumbling stone wall off a little ways. “Let’s check it out, guys,” she suggested, grinning. Ori smiled and pulled out a slim camera from the pocket of her jeans, determined to snap a few photos for memory. Sera smiled, and looked at Nori. “You wanna lead? It was your idea to come here in the first place,” she reminded him.

 

Nori nodded, and led the group towards the wall, looking around him. As they got closer, Nori suddenly stopped and held out a hand, motioning for the others to stay put. Sera frowned, and placed a hand on Pippin and Merry’s shoulders, whom decided to walk with her. “Nori? What is it?” she asked quietly.

 

Nori cocked his head to the side slightly, and shrugged his shoulders lightly. “Think there’s someone else here,” he whispered back. Sera heard Ori suck in a breath, and noticed Tauriel sidle in front of Frodo a bit more from her position by him. After a few seconds, Sera could finally hear what sounded like shuffling feet and whispering coming from the other side of the wall. “Everyone stay quiet for a moment,” Nori told them. “And stay here.”

 

Sera bit her lip to refrain herself from asking Nori to stay, feeling worried for his safety. She briefly had a wild thought that there was some paranormal activity going on before banishing the thought as ridiculous. There had to be a logical explanation for this.

 

Nori slowly made his way closer to the wall, his hand near his belt where Sera knew he kept a knife strapped at all times. He made it to the wall before he carefully peered around it, then paused before he began to talk. Sera blinked in confusion for a moment before she realized he was talking to someone on the other side of the wall.

 

Sure enough, Nori motioned for them to come over towards him, and Sera started forward, holding Merry and Pippin’s hands. Tauriel held Frodo’s hand, followed by Ori and Sam, both of whom looked slightly apprehensive. “It’s alright guys, they’re not cops,” Nori called out, and Sera had to give a brief laugh. “Well, thank goodness for that,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes a bit. She came around the other side of the crumbling wall, and stopped short at the sight of two people, a man and woman armed with cameras and clipboards.

 

Both wore glasses and had short hair, though the woman’s hair was dyed blonde and curly while the man’s was black and spiky, with a small goatee sporting from his chin. The woman was a bit on the plump side while the man was tall lanky, and Sera noticed that both had wedding bands on their fingers, making her suspect they were married.

 

“Hi there,” the man said with a smile, holding out a hand to shake. “Brad Porter. This is my wife Stephanie.” Sera shook hands with Brad and his wife, whom gave a chipper smile. Sera gave a nod and shook the proffered hand. “Sera Holloway,” she replied. “These are my friends Tauriel Wood, Nori Rison, Ori Rison, and these four youngsters are Pippin Took, Merry Brandybuck, Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee,” she introduced.

 

The couple nodded politely to each of them, shaking hands with the adults of the group. “We didn’t mean to scare you,” Stephanie apologized. “We’re doing an article on the supernatural occurrences here in Dudleytown,” Brad explained.

 

“Are you ghost hunters?” Pippin piped up, curiosity peeked. Sera smiled and patted his shoulder, smiling a little apologetically to the Porters. “Sorry, Pippin’s gotten into the whole Ghost Hunters International show,” she said.

 

Brad chuckled in return. “It’s quite alright. To answer you question young man, not quite,” he said, looking down at Pippin. “We seek out unusual happenings in different parts of the country, and spend a few days in the area studying the incidences as they happen. Sometimes we don’t have anything happen, and other times we get lucky.”

 

Tauriel cocked her head slightly, intrigued. “What kind of things do you usually look for?” she asked. Stephanie waved her hand. “Oh, you know, we start with the basics. First we look up as much of the local legends as possible, then begin asking residents about any strange happenings that they’re aware of.”

 

“Have you found anything interesting about Dudleytown?” Ori asked politely. Brad nodded his head enthusiastically. “Oh yeah, tons of stuff,” he replied. “We’re actually looking around the area as a cursory exploration at the moment. We’re hoping to see if we can find any evidence of the creatures William Tanner mentioned before.”

 

“Who’s William Tanner?” Frodo asked, looking up at the adults. Nori smiled over at the boy. “It’s part of the ghost stories of Dudleytown. I’ll tell you about it tonight, okay buddy?” he told him. When he nodded, Nori looked over at the Porters. “Well, we’d like to wish you both good luck and happy hunting,” he told them politely.

“We’re camped about a mile and a half from the top of that hill,” Tauriel told them with a polite nod, pointing towards the hill they climbed down. “Just in case of an emergency.”

 

Brad smiled and nodded. “Thanks. We’re camped not that far from you, actually, maybe half a mile due east from Dudleytown. Hey, maybe we’ll get lucky and come across something,” he said in a hopeful tone. “I’d love to see what kind of things the Dark Entry Forest has in store for us.”

 

Sera saw Ori shudder from the corner of her eye, and patted her gently on the shoulder. “Well, once again, good luck,” she told them with one more smile. “Alright, we’re going to continue with our own exploring while we still have time before it gets dark.”

 

Stephanie shook hands with them once more. “Don’t let us hold you up,” she said sincerely. “Have fun and stay safe!” With that, the Porters held hands and walked away, pointing out various points among them and whispering to each other. “Well, they seem nice,” Sera said, looking among the adults.

 

“Yeah, but I think they’re a bit nuts to be honest,” Nori said. Tauriel huffed and elbowed him. “What? Who willingly goes in a place filled with supernatural incidences?”

 

“We do, remember?” Sera said with a grin, causing the entire group to laugh. “Well, now we know we’re not the only ones in the woods, and at least they’re living flesh and blood,” Ori replied. Sera nodded her head, then turned and looked at the others. “Well, let’s continue on with this tour so we can head back and get some food in these guys,” she said, noticing that the younger boys were beginning to fidget. As the group continued on with their exploration, Sera couldn’t help but feel like there were a pair of eyes watching their every move, but bushed aside the notion. There was no such thing as supernatural occurances . . . absolutely none.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you for the kind comments and kudos this story has received so far, it makes me grin like an idiot everytime I get one :D
> 
> Also, i apologize if the chapter is a little short, there will be a longer one next time~!

_June 19 th, 2015_

**2:41 pm**

 

Sera stretched one arm over her head and stifled a yawn with her other hand, closing her green eyes briefly. “Aunt Sera, are you tired?” Frodo asked as he emerged from the tent he was going to share with his foster brothers and the adult ladies for the night. He was dressed in a t-shirt and swim trunks, as Bilbo and Dori had promised to take them swimming in the stream not that far from them.

 

Sera opened her eyes to smile at the dark-haired youth, and nodded her head. “Yeah, I think I need a nap,” she replied, fighting another yawn. Dori looked up from where he and Sam were sorting out fishing gear with Tauriel and Ori while Nori and Bilbo were helping the boys change into swimming clothes. “Are you alright Sera?” he asked in concern. “You’re not normally this tired, especially during the middle of the day.”

 

Sera gave a light shrug, glancing at Tauriel. “Well, it’s been a really rough day yesterday for Tauriel and I, maybe the stress of it finally caught up?” she suggested. She gave him a reassuring grin when he lifted a silver eyebrow at her. “I’ll be fine, I think I’ll sit this trip out and try to catch an hour or two of sleep, and I’ll get dinner going as soon as you guys get back, yeah?”

 

“You sure you’ll be alright alone at the campsite?” Tauriel asked her friend. “I can always stay behind—“ she cut herself off when Sera gave the willowy redhead a look. “I’ll be perfectly fine, and if anything, I’ll take one of Nori’s knives and keep it with me in the million-to-one chance that something happens, and I’ll honk one of the car horns if I need help or something, alright?”

 

Tauriel held up a hand, chuckling. “Alright, alright, if you’re sure,” she said, smiling. She was used to Sera becoming a little testy when she became overly tired. Sera yawned once more. “I’ll set an alarm on my phone so I won’t conk out for too long. I’ll start up some hotdogs, and if you guys are lucky to catch any fish, I can cook those up too, if Nori doesn’t mind cleaning them?” she asked the last part a little louder so he’d hear her from the tent.

 

The man in question came out the tent with two rambunctious 6- and 7-year olds chattering excitedly to Bilbo, who nodded his head as he listened to them. “Yeah, I’ll gut ‘em out if we catch anything,” he answered, nodding his head.

 

“Are you gonna bury the fish guts so we don’t get wolves?” Sam asked suddenly from his spot on Dori’s knee. “You gotta bury them, ‘Cuz wolves’ll come and eat them and get into the camp stuff.” Frodo looked at Sam and shook his head with a slight smile. “We don’t have wolves in Connecticut . . . right?” he looked at his Uncle Bilbo. Bilbo looked over and Frodo and furrowed his brows. “Actually, I’m not sure, my boy.”

 

This got the attention of all four boys, and they all looked between each other with varying degrees of worry. “We’re not gonna get ate up by wolves, are we?” Merry asked in a slightly scared voice. Sera was quick to reassure them. “No, no, boys, no one’s gonna get eaten by any wolf. I don’t think there’s any wolves native to this part of the country, but if it worries you so much, we’ll make sure to keep watch for them tonight, how’s that sound?” she coaxed.

 

Sera saw the adults all nod, and this reassured the boys enough to relax and resume their chatter. “Well, we’re all set over here,” Ori said in a chipper tone. “Everyone ready?” Bilbo and Nori nodded while the boys gave unanimous yeses all around.

 

“You sure you won’t want someone to stay with you?” Dori asked one last time as he let Sam slide off his lap and stood up. “It’d be no trouble at all.” Sera shook her head. “Nah, you go have fun with the kids, I’ll be perfectly fine here,” she reassured. “Besides, that’ll mean I’ll be perfectly active for s’mores tonight,” she said, winking at the kids when they gasped in delight.

 

The adults chuckled at their enthusiasm, before they began to herd the kids away towards the stream. “See you when we get back, Sera,” Bilbo called over his shoulder. “We’ll see about bringing back some fresh fish if we catch any that’s big enough.”

 

Sera waved them off, sighing in peace as she was left alone for the time being. She stood up from the camp chair she had placed near the little dug-out fire pit they had made for the night, and stretched once more before pulling out her phone and setting an alarm on it to wake her in about two hours. With that done, she lifted the flap of the tent she, Tauriel and Ori would be sharing with the boys tonight and crawled into her sleeping bag, setting her phone within reach.

 

Yawning once more, she had a stray thought to wonder about the Porters and how they were getting on with their research before she drifted off into the sleep that had seemed so inviting in the last hour.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_The first thing she noticed was that it was cold, very cold. She could not see far in front of her, for the area she was in was surrounded by a thick, heavy mist. The second thing she noticed was that though she could not see, she could hear that she was in a forest, for every creak and snap of tree limbs echoed throughout the otherwise silent fog and the rich, earthy scent of dirt and dead leaves filled her lungs with each breath._

_She felt a shudder pass through her, this was a stark difference from the comfortable chambers she knew before. She took a shaky breath, a sudden feeling of fear racking through her spine as she glanced around with nervous eyes. A twig snapped not far from behind her, and she spun around, hands flying to her mouth to stifle a scream at the unexpected noise._

_He stood before her, golden wings extended as if just landing from flight before they tucked themselves against his back. He wore a shirt this time, a dark blue tunic with black ties in the front. He wore black trousers as well, though his boots were a worn dark brown. His blue gaze, when she met it, was not the warm one she was used to. Instead, they seemed like cobalt orbs of absolute concern and anxiousness. He moved to her slowly, as if not wanting to frighten her._

_“You shouldn’t be here,” he told her softly, eyes darting around as if looking for danger. “The forest is not safe. You and the others need to leave.” She frowned a little, another shiver coursing through her. “What do you mean?” she asked him, biting her lip slightly in worry. “What’s so bad about the forest? What’s out there?”_

_He shook his head slowly as he came to a stop before her. “I cannot tell you at this time, only that danger lurks nearby, and nightfall will bring out the beasts of darkness.” He lifted his hand and gently brushed the backs of his knuckles along her cheek, his eyes searching hers. “I couldn’t tolerate any thought of you being hurt or placed in harm’s way.”_

_She gazed up at him with wide eyes, lips parting in surprise. “Wha-what do you mean?” she stammered slightly, taking a small step back. “Beasts? What, like wolves or bears?” He gave a humorless smirk, shaking his head. “Much, much worse,” he promised her. “You and the others have to leave. Now.”_

_She wanted to agree to him, felt the insistent need to do so, but she frowned, feeling a slow curiosity and irritation at being ordered around rising up to war with the wish to obey. She took another step back. “Why is it that you’ve never told me a thing about who or what you are, yet you can come into my dreams like nothing and begin to order me around?” she asked slowly._

_He frowned as well, taking a step forward. “Believe me, if I were at leave to do so, I would tell you everything I could. As it is, you are from a different plane, and I do not have leave from my leader to come to your world—“_

_“Wait, my world? What are you talking about, you’re just a dream, aren’t you?” she questioned, eyes narrowing. “You can’t be real.” He sighed heavily. “I cannot tell you anymore. But please,” he said quickly when she opened her mouth to speak again. “You must believe me when I tell you that you and your friends have to leave the forest. It’s too dangerous for you, look around you, it’s even invaded your dreams!”_

_She did look, noting that though the fog had not gown thicker or dissipated, it seemed more oppressing, gloomy, and perhaps a bit fearsome. She shook her head quickly before she could let her thoughts and looked at him, green eyes narrowed once more. “Who are you, really?” she asked him._

_He let out a huff, before he gave her a look. “My name is Fili. Right now I cannot tell you any more than that, but please, you must leave this forest, if not for your own safety than for that of the boys.” He frowned once more, sniffing the air before curling his lip._

_Suddenly, she heard inhuman shrieks fill the air, and she whirled around with a gasp, eyes growing round in fear. “They know you’re here,” Fili said urgently._

 

_"Fili?" she said in worry, backing up a step. "What is that?"_

 

_“Sera, you must go, now, wake up," He said. "Wake up!”_

**_***_ **

**4:13 pm**

 

“Sera, wake up!”

 

Sera sucked in a sharp breath and bolted upright, gasping. As her vision refocused, she realized that Ori was there, hands held up in a peaceful gesture. “Relax, I came back early to check up and see how you were doing,” she said gently. “You looked like you were having a bad dream.”

 

Sera groaned and scrubbed a hand over her face. “It was definitely something,” she said drily. Ori frowned in concern. “Are you alright?” she asked the brunette.

 

Nodding her head, Sera stood and stretched before she grabbed her phone and shut off the alarm, obviously not needing it anymore. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she reassured her younger friend with a smile. “Well, we might as well try to get something started for when the guys and Taur get back,” she said in a false chipper tone.

 

Ori eyed her in concern, but decided not to say anything, only nodded her head in agreement. “Okay, we’ve got some burger and hotdogs, which one did we want tonight?” she asked Sera.

 

Sera tapped her chin, then shrugged. “Let’s heat up the hotdogs, that way if they do come back with some fish it’s not like we’d be wasting three dollars a pound meat,” she chuckled before stepping out of the tent. Ori smiled and nodded. “Good idea,” she agreed, then grabbed some matches and wood that Dori had brought along for a fire.

 

As they started the fire and pulled out the hotdogs, Sera’s mind wandered back to the dream she just had. _Fili . . . an odd name,_ she decided. _What the hell was he warning me about?_ She scanned the area around them, a tendril of fear curling in her stomach slightly as she listened to the woods creak around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun duuunnn~! Tune in for the next chapter for some good stuff ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any information about William Tanner is sketchy at best, so for the sake of this Fanfic, I made up the information presented here. He really did die at the age of 104, and believed he saw things coming out of the woods at night.
> 
> TW: Blood, descriptions of Violence, mentions of vomiting.

_June 19th, 2015_

**9:57 pm**

 

“Okay, who’s ready for a ghost story?” Bilbo asked as he helped Merry put a marshmallow on a stick for s’mores. The sun was setting, and the air was beginning to get a little chilly, so the boys were sitting around the fire with the older men and Tauriel while Sera and Ori got graham crackers and chocolate set out.

 

“I am, I am!” came a chorus from the excited boys, though Sam gulped a little from where he sat next to Dori. Sera chuckled, and glanced over her shoulder as she finished laying out the chocolate on top of the bottom crackers. “Which story are we gonna here tonight?” she asked.

 

“Nori said he’d tell us about William Tanner,” Frodo piped up, and Pippin gave an enthusiastic nod. “Uh-huh, I wanna hear that one!”

 

Bilbo furrowed his brows. “Isn’t that one a little scary to be telling?” he said a little dubiously as he looked at Nori, who held up a hand while holding a giggling Frodo perched on his knee as he burnt a marshmallow for the third time. “Hey, the Porters are the ones who mentioned him, and the kiddies were interested.”

 

Ori sat down next to Tauriel and picked up a sharpened stick before sliding a marshmallow on the tip. “Well, I for one would like to hear about this William Tanner guy, sounds interesting,” she put in.

 

Tauriel arched a brow at her younger friend and shared a look with Sera. “You’ve never heard of William Tanner?” the redhead asked.

 

At her headshake, Nori clapped his hands. “Alright then, I’ll tell it,” he said in an eerie voice. The boys, Sam included, giggled at the silly man, and all leaned in to listen close.

 

“Way back before any of us were born, there was a small, isolated—that means alone and separated from others, Frodo—a small, isolated part of Cornwall that became known as Dudleytown. Now this place was originally owned by a man named Thomas Griffis, who was one of the first people to settle in the area. Later, the village was named after a person named Gideon Dudley, where the town got its name.

 

“Now when Gideon’s brothers arrived, it’s said that they brought a curse with them, because some pretty scary things started to happen to the people that lived here. One of those stories is about a man named William Tanner. Now Tanner was an old man that moved with his family to Dudleytown. He was a well-liked member of the community, and respectable.

 

“Some really strange things started to happen around the time William Tanner moved to Dudleytown. Strange noises in the night were heard coming from the woods. Strange claw marks were found on the doors of several homes and barns. Animals were found torn up and half eaten.” At this, the boys all gasped, S’mores half-forgotten. “What did it?” Merry asked with wide eyes.

 

Nori shrugged. “No one knows. When people started to disappear, the villagers began to talk amongst themselves on what could be causing this curse. William Tanner volunteered to stay up all night and discover what it was. That night, he wandered out into the woods by himself armed with nothing more than a pitchfork.

 

“The villagers waited for him to come back, the entire night. When he came back, it was empty-handed. He had a wild look in his eye, and went on to tell everyone that he had seen monsters crawling around in the woods. He managed to get one with his pitchfork before he ran back as fast as he could to Dudleytown. The villagers went into the woods to find the creature he killed, but they found nothing but a broken pitchfork.”

 

“What happened to the monster?” Sam asked softly, huddled up next to Dori. “Hard to say,” Nori replied, shrugging once more. “Tanner went mad after that, and talked about the monsters in the woods until he died at the ripe old age of 104. People continued to disappear, and animals were killed in large numbers. After a while, people began to move away, and it’s said that these woods are still haunted by the monsters at night.”

 

Everyone was silent for a moment, listening to the crackling logs in the fire and the wind rushing through the now dark trees. “But it’s just a legend,” Sera said, looking around with a smirk and shaking her head. “I don’t believe in monsters or haunted woods, though they make some pretty good stories around the campfire.” She looked sternly at the four children. “But, that doesn’t mean go out into the woods alone, understand?”

 

“Yes, Auntie Sera,” they replied, sharing glances with one another. Sera gave a smile and winked at the adults, who chuckled in return. “Now, did anyone else want a s’more or some juice?”

 

When hands raised for more, she and Tauriel got up and began to pass out some bottled juices for the kids, a water for Bilbo, an Iced Tea for Dori, a beer for Nori (whom insisted in at least one to celebrate the start of summer), and a soda for the ladies.

 

“Okay, my tur—“ Bilbo started to say, but was cut off by loud crashing coming from the trees. Sera gave a slight gasp, and dropped her can of soda to the ground in surprise when the noise came closer. She quickly pulled Frodo from Nori’s lap and held him close to her, placing a placating hand instinctively on Nori’s arm, who stood up and reached for his knife.

 

“Sera?” Pippin called out, his voice high in fear. Suddenly, something crashed through the trees and collapsed on the ground near the fire, panting heavily. Dori and Tauriel gave shouts of alarm, and Bilbo threw his arms in front of Merry and Pippin. “H-help, oh, god, p-please help me!” a shrill voice rang out, and Ori gave a squeak of fear. “St-Stephanie? Stephanie Porter?” she asked nervously.

 

Sera glanced at Nori, who gave a nod and moved a now shaking Frodo behind him. “It’s okay, buddy,” he murmured quietly to the boy. Sera cautiously came around to the other side of the fire, and reached a hand out gently to the quivering and panting form. “Stephanie?” she called quietly. “Hun, what happened?” She placed her hand on Stephanie’s shoulder, and felt her flinch before the woman latched onto her legs, hugging them close.

 

Sera sucked in a breath and nearly lost her balance before she regained her footing. With some gentle prodding, she managed to get Stephanie to loosen her hold on her legs so she could kneel down to her level and look her over. The first thing she noticed was the jacket she wore was bloodstained and torn in various places. She bit her lip as she noticed the cuts and bruises forming on the exposed skin, and the wide-eyed, disheveled and dirt-crusted hair. “Stephanie, where’s Brad?” she asked her softly. “What happened to you?”

 

Stephanie shuddered, her eyes unfocused, and not really seeing Sera. “M-mon-monsters,” she stuttered out hoarsely. “Fro-from th-the woods . . . He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s GONE!” She suddenly began wailing, Sera felt dread begin to curl in her stomach as Stephanie’s words sank in. She looked over at Bilbo, biting her lip.

 

Tauriel stood up and moved to kneel by Stephanie and Sera, trying to calm her down. “Stephanie, sweetie, we need to get you checked out,” she said gently, wrapping a hand around the distraught woman’s arm and helping her to her feet. Stephanie clung to Tauriel, sucking in deep breaths and whimpering “Monsters . . . everywhere . . . gotta run . . . run . . .”

 

Dori turned and patted Sam’s head and nodded to Ori to look after him for a moment before he bustled over, grabbing a first aid kit from on top of the cooler as he went. He helped Tauriel get Stephanie to sit down on a log, popped open the kit, and began to carefully wipe the dirt and blood from her face. Sera stood up from where she knelt and brushed off her pant legs, giving a shudder as she felt a flash of fear.

She motioned Nori to follow her, and hurried over to where Bilbo and Ori sat huddled with the kids trying to keep them calm. Nori carried Frodo over with him, patting his back soothingly before sitting on the other side of his sister. “Okay, Stephanie and Brad must’ve had an accident,” Sera said with a whisper as she sat down next to Pippin. The little boy immediately latched onto her middle, quivering. “Was it a monster?” he asked in a small voice. “That scratched her up like that?”

 

“No, Pippin, it wasn’t a monster,” Sera was quick to reassure him. “But something happened, and Brad may still be out there, and hurt, badly.” She glanced over at Stephanie, whom Tauriel was holding and gently rocking, trying to soothe her. Tauriel caught Sera’s gaze and frowned, worry evident in her eyes. ‘It’s not all hers,’ she mouthed, pointing at the jacket she managed to take off of Stephanie, and Sera felt another shiver run through her

 

“What do we do?” Ori asked, drawing Sera’s attention back. “Stephanie obviously needs medical attention, more than what we can fix with a first aid kit,” she pointed out. “She’s right, in her mental state, there’s no telling what she could do,” Bilbo added, holding Merry close. “We need to get her to a hospital, and soon.”

 

Nori sighed, scratching his head. “The nearest hospital is nearly three hours away,” he whispered back. “And what about Porter? He’s probably still out there, someone needs to go find him.” The four adults all glanced at each other, torn about what to do. Finally, Sera sighed. “I’ll go look for him,” she said decisively. “The Porter’s camp isn’t that far from us, I can be there and back within an hour.”

 

Nori placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump slightly. “No, we’ll be going together,” he corrected. “Safety in numbers. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to pack up camp while we’re searching,” he said to Ori and Bilbo. “If something did happen, better to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

 

“How are we going to know what’s going on while you’re gone?” Ori asked Sera and her brother, worried. “Our cell phones don’t work out here, I tried to send a text earlier and it said we were out of service.”

 

“I’ve got those walkie-talkies in the glove box in Dori’s car,” Nori replied. “Five-mile radius, we should be able to keep in contact with each other.”

 

“No no no no no, don’t go, please don’t go,” Pippin spoke up, clinging to Sera and looking up with wide eyes. “I’m scared, what if you don’t come back?” Sera looked at him gently, hugging him close. “I know you don’t want me to go, Pip, but if Brad’s out there and hurt, we have to go find him. What’s the rule about the woods?” she asked him softly.

 

“No one goes out there alone,” he whispered back, blinking back tears. Sera gave a soft sigh and rubbed his back, kissing the top of his head. “Exactly. Nori can’t go out alone, and we can’t leave Brad out there alone. Nori and I are going to find Brad, and we’re going to be back as soon as we can, okay? We’ll have the walkie-talkies with us so we can talk to you, and we’ll have flashlights so we can find our way back.”

 

Pippin gave a sniffle, and nodded his head, hugging Sera tightly. “O-okay,” he whimpered, giving a heaving sigh. Sera smiled once more, and brushed back some of his curls. “Can you be a brave boy for me?” When he nodded, she place one last kiss to his temple. “Good,” she replied, then carefully unwrapped his arms from around her waist and stood up.

“We’ll contact you as soon as we get to Dudleytown and again when we find Brad,” Nori said, rising up beside Sera. “You guys go ahead and start packing what you can, if something did happen, we’ll have to go back to the city for the cops.” He whispered the last part to Ori and Bilbo, both whom nodded their heads.

 

“Uh, guys?” Sera turned to Tauriel, who stood with them. “Stephanie’s a little catatonic, but she did manage to say she and Brad were in Dudleytown when they were, well . . .” She trailed off, unsure as to what exactly did happen. Sera nodded, and hugged her friend. “Nori and I are going to go look for Brad,” she told her. “We’ll need to be ready to leave when we get back.”

 

Tauriel nodded her head, concerned. “Got it,” she replied. “Dori will look after Stephanie, I’ll help get things going.” Sera gave one last nod in return, then turned to Nori. “Let’s do this,” she stated firmly, wanting to find Brad as soon as possible. Different scenarios played through her mind on what may have happened, each more grisly than the last.

 

Nori gave a boy-scout salute, and jogged over to his brother’s car before he popped open the passenger’s side and opened up the glovebox. Peering inside, he pulled out two standard flashlights, and revealed two largish walkie-talkies. “We’ll be on station 2,” he said when they returned to the group. He handed it over to Bilbo. “Flip the top switch on the left side, and click the dial over twice to get the station,” he explained. “Press the little black bar on the right side to talk, and release it to receive an answer. It has a full battery, so no worries of it dying on you.”

 

Bilbo nodded at the instructions, quickly setting it up. “You two be careful out there,” he told them. “We’ll be waiting for you when you get back.” Sera nodded her head to them, and looked around at her friends before turning to Nori. Nori bobbed his head, signaling that he was ready, and the two headed off into the forest the way Stephanie Porter came from.

 

“You know chances are that we won’t find him alive,” Nori said softly when the noise from the camp disappeared. He clicked on his flashlight and shone it around them, keeping an eye out for exposed roots and loose stones. Sera did the same, but shone her light through the trees, just in case they found anything. “We can’t know that, Nori,” she replied, eyes trained ahead of her.

 

“With that much blood on that jacket?” Nori said skeptically. “I know you’re hoping for the best, but we need to be prepared for anything when we find Porter.”

 

Sera turned to Nori and shot him a small glare. “You think I don’t know that?” she said a little hotly. “Right now, I am shit scared at what we’re going to find, or may not find. All I know for certain is that something happened to the Porters, and we’ve already got one that’s injured and bordering on going insane, and the other is missing and hurt. I just want to find Brad before something else does.”

 

Nori was silent for a moment before he coughed a little, clearing his throat. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t be talking like that.”

 

Sera sighed and shook her head, glancing at Nori. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m not sure what to do, I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I’m afraid, we’ve got four kids with us, we’re armed with a few knives, and something that attacked the Porters lurking out in the woods. You’re right, I need to be keeping an open mind about Brad’s fate.”

 

Nori nodded his head, and slung an arm around Sera’s shoulders for reassurance. “We’ll find him,” he told her. “And then we’ll go get help, I promise.”

 

The walk to Dudleytown seemed so much longer in the dark, at least, to Sera it was. She felt more skittish than a new-born colt, flinching at every sound she heard. Every so often, she and Nori would call out softly for Brad, listening for the slightest noise to indicate his presence.

 

After a few minor incidents of tripping in the dark, they finally reached Dudleytown. Sera let out a breath, and carefully aimed her flashlight around. She glanced at Nori and nodded her head to him. He returned the nod, and pulled out the walkie-talkie. Flipping it on, he pressed the receiver button and spoke into it.

 

“Alright guys, it’s Nori and Sera. We made it to Dudleytown, copy that?” After a few seconds of static, they finally got an answer. Surprisingly, it was Dori. “Thank goodness you two, you had me worried!”

 

Sera frowned and leaned in to speak into the device. “Dori, how’s Stephanie doing?” she asked, concerned. “I thought you were watching her?”

 

“Well, I was, but she became distraught when she realized you two had gone into the woods, I ended up giving her a few of my sleeping pills to help her calm down. She’s finally asleep, she’s in the back seat of my car. Speaking of which, we are nearly packed, we’re just taking down the tent you and the boys were going to use tonight.”

 

Sera nodded, though obviously she knew Dori couldn’t see her. “Did Stephanie say anything else?” she asked, shooting Nori another glance. It was silent for a moment, save for the static and the ambient noises of the woods before Dori spoke again. “She said we’re all going to die. Quite loud about it, she scared the poor boys terribly. She’s absolutely convinced that there is something out there that’s going to harm us. Is there any way you can come back?” he asked of them.

 

Nori let out a huff and answered before Sera had a chance to respond. “Dori, we’re out here to find Stephanie’s husband. We can’t abandon someone in the middle of the woods if they’re hurt and be guilt-free. We’ll be fine, and we’ll be back as soon as we can, alright?”

 

Dori answered them after another moment. “Alright, I understand, but please be careful, you two.” Sera could almost see Dori wagging his finger at the walkie-talkie. “Call back as soon as you have the chance to.”

 

“No problem, Dori, we’ll be alight, and we’ll be back before you know it. Over and out,” Sera said, and Nori cut off the connection before he slid the walkie-talkie into his pocket. “Alright, let’s keep an eye out for anything,” Nori told Sera in a quiet voice. Now that they weren’t actually speaking to another person, the woods seemed much more dark and forbidding.

 

Sera nodded her head, and stuck close to her friend as they looked around for Brad Porter. “Brad?” Sera called quietly. “Brad Porter? If you can hear us, please make some kind of noise.” She whisper/yelled.

 

Nori shone his flashlight around, and pinned the light on the ground near the stone wall they first met the Porter’s by earlier that day. “Oh, no,” he whispered, his face taking on a slight pallor beneath his goatee. Sera followed his gaze slowly, and felt chills run through her as she realized the ground was stained red.

 

“Shit,” she heard Nori breathe. She tightened her grip on her own flashlight, and started forward slowly, struggling to keep her breathing even and calm. She felt more than heard Nori following right behind her, and knew he had a knife drawn just in case, for what, she wasn’t sure.

 

The closer they got, the more pronounced the blood became, and Sera felt herself gag, already knowing exactly whose it was. When they finally reached it, Sera felt tears form, and let out a shuddering breath through her mouth, the stench of fresh blood becoming too much. She went to turn to try to get some fresh air, before she her gaze fell on a sight that made her stomach churn.

 

“Oh, _Jesus_!” Sera turned her head and bent over double, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the forest floor, unable to contain it any more. She felt Nori patting her back soothingly, even as he muttered. “Fuck, the poor bastard was ripped apart!”

 

Wiping her mouth with the back of a shaky hand, Sera stood up straight once more, and peered at the body again, feeling tears form for the man that once was. Brad Porter lay spread-eagled, or he would be, if his left arm hadn’t been ripped out of the shoulder socket and his right leg torn to shreds. His stomach and intestines looked to have been pulled out, the organs exposed, half-chewed, and already attracting insects to swarm over them. His face though, that was what drew her gaze the most. His face was a mask of absolute horror and terror, and pieces of his scalp appeared to be missing.

 

“What the hell happened to him?” Sera whispered, fear creeping into her voice. Nori wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kept her close before he began to walk backwards away from the body. “I don’t know, but whatever it is that did this, is probably still lurking around, and we need to get back to the others and get help,” Nori said urgently.

 

Sera gave a slight whimper, and she felt Nori take her face in his hands. “Hey, hey, hey, we can’t panic now,” Nori said sternly. “We get back to the others, we get in the cars, and we get help in one piece, then you can panic, alright? Right now, there are four little boys, and our friends depending on us to get back to them. Don’t let them down, Sera.”

 

Sera took a shaky breath, and nodded her head before hugging Nori tightly. “Okay, Nori,” she said softly. Nori nodded his head once, and retuned the hug before he pulled out his phone. “I need to take pictures for the police in case something else comes along and finishes this,” he told her gently. Sera nodded her head, and hugged herself as she waited for Nori to finish his business. She listened to the trees creak and moan, and bit her lip, searching around her for anything that might be there.

 

Finally, Nori came back from photographing the body, and Sera nodded her head to him. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” she whispered, keeping a firm grip on Nori’s free hand and pulling out the walkie-talkie with the other. “Guys,” she called as they hurried back up the hill.

 

Tauriel immediately answered. “Oh my god, did you find him?” she asked urgently. Sera swallowed hard, the vision of Brad’s body still fresh in her mind. “We did . . . what’s left of him.”

 

There was a pause before she heard Tauriel speak. “Fuck,” she cursed, pretty much summing up the situation. “What do I tell the others?” she asked them.

 

“The truth,” Nori replied. “Don’t tell Stephanie yet, wait until we’re back in the city, I don’t want her panicking while we’re driving.” Sera tightened her grip on Nori’s hand as they walked. “Are you nearly finished with camp?” she asked her roommate.

 

“Yeah, we’re all set, just waiting for you guys to get back,” Tauriel replied. “I’ll keep the kids in the minivan with Bilbo, Dori and Ori will stay with Stephanie and drive her in.”

 

Sera let out a breath. “We won’t be long, but keeping the kids in the car wouldn’t be a bad idea,” she agreed. “Taur, something mutilated Brad. I don’t know what, but I seriously doubt it was a wolf or lynx or any other kind of animal,” she said in a quieter tone.

 

She heard Tauriel suck in a breath when she clicked the receiver. “Shit, you think someone killed him?” After a second, she continued. “You think she did it?”

 

Nori was the one to reply. “I highly doubt it, we would’ve seen a weapon or blood under her nails if she did it,” he explained. “No, I think whoever did it is still out there, and our safest bet would be to get the hell outta Dodge before he or she or it comes back looking for more.”

 

“Alright, I’ll tell the others what you said, you just hurry back as soon as possible,” Tauriel said. “Over and out.”

 

Sera sighed as her friend shut off her receiver, and shut off theirs as well before looking at Nori. “How good are you with your knife?” she asked. Nori held it up as if to prove a point. “Hopefully good enough to keep us alive if need be.”

 

Sera nodded her head once more, and glanced around at the trees, shuddering once more. What the hell could have done that to Brad Porter in such a short amount of time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this was late, but it is finally here, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter~!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for the lengthy absence, hopefully i can stat getting back on schedule with updates. I'm not really thrilled with this chapter, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. The lyrics in this chapter are from the Lettermen's "Turn Around, Look At Me." Technically a love song, but the beginning seemed appropriate~!

_June 19 th_

**11:37 PM**

 

Sera let out a breath of relief when they finally broke the clearing and made it back to camp. She glanced at Nori when he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and gave him a nod, thanking him for his silent support once again.

“Sera, Nori!” Sera glanced over before she headed over quickly through the now cleaned up campsite to Bilbo’s vehicle, where the kids were buckled into their seats and the adults were crowded around the door, murmuring in quiet voices. Sera let out a small shuddering breath as she and Nori approached the group, and glanced around at them all. They were both quickly enveloped in a group hug, and Sera closed her eyes as she allowed herself a moment of comfort, the gruesome sight they left behind a fresh, jarring vision behind her eyelids.

 

“Did you find Bradley Porter?” Dori asked in worry.” Tauriel didn’t tell us what happened.” Sera nodded her head slowly and opened her eyes as Nori showed them the images on his phone of what they saw. Bilbo blanched, and swallowed hard to keep what remained of their supper in his stomach, giving a groan of horror

 

“How’s Stephanie doing now? Did she wake up?” Sera asked, running a hand through her brunette locks out of nervous habit.

 

“No, she’s still sleeping in Dori’s car, but keeps mumbling in her sleep about monsters,” Tauriel replied in a slightly hoarse voice, her face ashen. Ori had clapped a hand over her mouth in shock, eyes wide as her oldest brother shook his head mournfully. “We need to get out of here, and find the police as quickly as possible,” Tauriel said, glancing around them nervously. “Whoever did this to Brad might come looking for Stephanie, too.”

 

“Agreed,” Sera said. “Alright, Bilbo, do you want Nori to ride with you and the kids?” at Bilbo’s nod, she looked over to the man in question, who lifted a brow. “On the off chance of something else cropping up, you’re the one with the knives, better safe than sorry.”

 

Nori nodded, and Tauriel stepped up. “I’ll ride with Dori,” she offered. “We’ll tail behind you wit Stephanie, with Bilbo and Nori in the middle.”

 

Ori swallowed lightly, and gently held onto Sera’s arm, before she nodded her head. “What do we do if we need to pull over?” she pointed out. “We’ve only got two walkie-talkies.”

 

“Then we’ll give a honk that we need to pull over,” Dori decided, looking around for confirmation. “Tauriel can hang onto one since we’ll have Stephanie, and we’ll leave the other with you and Sera up front.”

 

Sera nodded, and watched Nori hand Tauriel the walkie-talkie, who took it with a grim nod. “Alright, let’s get out of here before something else happens,” Tauriel said.

 

Sera nodded, and turned to the window of the passenger’s window of Bilbo’s minivan, where she could just make out Merry’s anxious face. “What do we tell them?” Bilbo asked worriedly, not wanting to frighten his poor boys any more than they already were.

 

“The truth,” Nori said. “Something bad happened to Brad and Stephanie Porter, and we’re gonna find the cops to help make it better.” The adults nodded about the cleaned up version of events, and Sera opened the door to speak with the kids as the others went to their designated vehicles. “Hey buddy,” Sera said softly, ruffling Merry’s curly brown hair.

 

“Aunt Sera, did you find Mr. Porter?” Sam asked from his place in the very back with Frodo, looking pale and worried. Sera bit her lip, and nodded her head slowly. “Yeah, we did,” she told him. “We’re going to get some help for him and Mrs. Porter, okay guys?” she gave them a smile, hoping that it looked more real than it felt. “Everything’s gonna be just fine, don’t you worry a bit.”

 

“Mommy?” Pippin peeked around Merry’s head to look at her with wide, frightened eyes. “Are monsters real?” Sera bit her lip once more, and glanced at Nori and Bilbo as they entered the front seats of the car. Bilbo looked back when Pippin called Sera ‘Mommy,’ but gave her a reassuring nod and slight smile. He knew how attached to Sera Pippin had become in the last years, and wasn’t about to prevent him from calling her his mother when she’d become the closest feminine figure in his life.

 

After a moment, Sera cleared her throat and gave a slight shrug. “I really don’t know, Pip,” she answered honestly. “What I do know is that we will be there for all of you and keep you as safe as we can.” With that, she reached around the minivan, making a point to touch some part of each child to make sure she loved and cared for them, and will protect them from the terrors of the night.

 

Giving the boys one last smile and a final nod to Nori and Bilbo, Sera shut the door, and headed over to her car, grateful she kept her keys with her throughout this whole ordeal. She looked at Ori, whom looked so pale in the moonlight with worry etchings itself into her face, and gave her a reassuring hug, rubbing her back gently. “We’ll be alright, and we’ll get help for Stephanie and get the cops,” Sera told her softly, feeling tears clog her throat once more.

 

She pulled back and walked Ori to her side of the car before she came back around and got into the driver’s seat and started the car up, strapping herself in as she did so. “It’s not the Porters I’m so worried about,” Ori whispered softly, staring unseeingly out the window. “I mean, I’m really scared for Stephanie, but I’m more afraid, I think, of what the fuck is out there that could do something so horrible to a nice man like Brad.”

 

Sera started the ignition, and began to drive back towards the road as Ori spoke. She glanced sharply at her mousy friend when she cursed, and knew instantly that Ori was more terrified than she let on, as she had never heard her curse before in all of their years of knowing each other.

 

Reaching out a hand, she gently patted Ori’s knee before turning her attention forward once more. “Some sick bastard did this,” she agreed. “But he wouldn’t dare attack a group of eleven people in moving vehicles,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

 

Ori nodded her head a little, and released a low breath. “Do-do you mind if I play some music?” she asked Sera. Sera gave her a brief smile, keeping her eyes on the dark road illuminated by her headlights. “Go for it, some music could help us calm our nerves,” she told her coaxingly.

 

Ori gave a small smile in return, and turned on the radio, searching for a station that reached their location in the middle of nowhere. Finally, she settled on what seemed a happy tune, and sat back to listen. Sera closed her eyes for a second, letting the sounds echo through the car as she focused on the lyrics, recognizing The Lettermen.

 

_“There is someone walking behind you Turn around, look at me There is someone watching your footsteps Turn around, look at me . . ._

The sudden noise so like a gunshot burst through the music as the car jumped and jerked. Sera and Ori shrieked in panic as the former struggled to keep the car on the road as it swerved before she slammed on the brakes, fist punching the horn twice as she did so. Gasping for breath, she threw the car in park before she turned to Ori. “Oh my god, are you alright?” she asked quickly, looking her over for an injury.

 

Ori shook in her seat, letting out a slight whimper. “Y-yeah, I’m al-alright,” the younger woman replied, brown eyes blown wide. “What was that?”

 

Sera let out a shuddering breath before she unbuckled her seatbelt. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure we just blew a tire.” With that, she exited the car, leaving the engine running. She heard the other cars stop behind her, and heard car doors opening as the adults joined Sera and Ori outside.

 

“What happened?” Bilbo asked quickly, coming up and placing his hands on Sera’s shoulders. “I saw you start fishtailing all over the road!”

 

Ori gave a slight grimace as her brothers began checking her over, but was quick to assure them that she was fine, shaken, yes, but fine.

 

“I don’t know, Bilbo,” Sera answered, brows furrowing slightly. “I heard something go off like a gun, so I think we blew one of our tires.”

 

“Uh, I hate to break it to you, Hun, but that wasn’t just one tire,” Tauriel’s voice drifted from where she was crouched down by the passenger’s side of the car. “What?” Dori asked in concern.

 

“I mean all four tires are slashed, like you ran over something laying across the road.” Sera froze for a second, a brief shudder of fear coursing through her spine as she hurried over to the car. She knelt down next to Tauriel, and surveyed the damage with a scowl. “Oh, son-of-a-bitch!” she groaned. “Seriously? What the hell did this to my car?”

 

She let out a huff and closed her eyes, trying to reign in her temper. “Hey, what’s that?” she heard Nori ask. Opening her eyes, she stood up and hurried around to the other side where Nori, Bilbo and Dori were examining the front tire on the driver’s side. “What’s what?” Ori asked as she and Tauriel followed Sera.

 

Nori didn’t answer, but pulled out his knife and dipped it into one of the open slashes, and dug around for a moment. Before long, he made a triumphant noise and extracted a jagged piece of what looked like some sort of metal. Frowning, Sera leaned in and took a closer look. “Is that . . . barbed wire?” she asked incredulously. “How did barbed wire stretch across the road?” she wondered aloud, sharing a look with the others.

 

Tauriel swallowed a little, face paling slightly. “I think the better question would be, who?” They were silent for a moment, before Bilbo cleared his throat. “Right, we better get back to the other cars and check on Mrs. Porter and the kids.”

 

“Agreed,” Sera said before she straightened up once more, glancing furtively around the dark trees surrounding the road. She followed the others to Bilbo’s minivan headed for Dori’s car, feeling a little guilty for not having gone to see Stephanie since the beginning of this ordeal. She opened the door and sat down next to Stephanie, and gently shook her shoulder. The blond woman stirred a little before she opened her eyes, a glazed look taking over her features as her gaze rested upon Sera.

 

“They’re coming for us,” she whispered. “The monsters won’t stop until they have us all.” Sera swallowed a little as she listened to the woman ramble, but forced her fear away. “What will they do?” she asked gently.

 

The blond woman didn’t answer save for a whimper, and rocked back and forth in her spot, her eyes looking out the window away from Sera. Sera herself gave a little sigh, and left the back seat, shutting the door at Stephanie Porter’s insistence. She strolled up to the rest of the group circled around the side of the minivan, and frowned when she saw the kids climbing out. “What’s going on?” she asked.

 

“Frodo and Sam had to pee, and Merry and Pippin didn’t want to stay inside without them,” Bilbo sighed, looking sternly at the children. The four of them had the grace to look sheepish, but it didn’t overlap that fact that they were terrified. “What happened to your car, Aunt Sera?” Merry asked.

 

Sera bit her lip before giving them a version of the truth. “The tires popped, honey,” she said. “And we don’t have enough spare tires to fix it.”

 

“Are we stuck here now?” Sam asked, worried. “No, Sam, we’ll go home soon,” Frodo told him encouragingly. “The grown-ups will figure it out, right?” he looked up at his uncle for support.

 

Bilbo gave the boys a smile, and opened his mouth when a bloodcurdling screech pierced the air. Sera gave a yelp of surprise, and whirled around to face the trees, scanning them quickly. She felt more than heard the kids being pulled into the center of the circle y the adults, and swallowed a lump of fear that threatened to choke her. “What was that?” she heard Tauriel whisper, fear evident in her voice.

 

“I-I don’t know,” Sera choked out. “But whatever that was, I don’t wanna be here when it show up. Dori, do—“ she began to say more when she heard a scuffling sound coming from the man in question’s car. “They’re coming, they’re coming, oh, God, they’re coming!” Stephanie began to screech. Sera clamped her hands on her ears for a second, trying to drown out Stephanie’s high-pitched screams, and motioned for Dori and Nori to calm her. The two men ran to Dori’s car to confront the woman, and Bilbo, Tauriel, Ori and Sera crowded in closer around the boys.

 

“Mommy?” Pippin called in a whimper, tears forming in his brown eyes. “I’m really a-scared now!” Sera knelt down quickly and wrapped her arms around Pippin, letting him bury his head into her shoulder and hair. “Don’t be scared, Pip,” Sera tried to soothe.

 

“Oh my god!” was the only warning Sera got from Bilbo before something jumped on her back, sharp claws digging into her hoodie. She let out a scream of fear mingled with pain as she was suddenly dragged backward, the thing keeping a tight grip on her clothing and hair. Sera had a rational moment of thought to hold onto Pippin tightly as the poor boy screamed his heart out in terror, panic exploding among the group.

 

“Get the fuck off me!” Sera screamed, struggling to hold Pippin close to her and break free of the person that had her. She felt the grip on her hair loosen enough to turn her face and look, before she gasped in shock and another scream ripped through the air.

 

It wasn’t a man, but something from a nightmare. The thing had greyish-green skin that looked like it had seen too many fights, large, jagged ears, crooked sharp teeth, and eyes that looked dead. The thing cracked a grin and gave a throaty chuckle before it began to drag Sera though the trees away from the cars. “No!” she yelled out, and looked back at the cars, praying the others were alright.

 

Tauriel was being dragged by her feet, nails raking the ground and feet kicking as she struggled to get loose from another hideous creature. Bilbo appeared to be clutching Frodo to him like his life depended on it, which if Sera’s scattering thoughts could focus would realize that it most likely did as two more creatures surrounded them. More and more burst through the trees, and Sera could vaguely see Dori and Nori fighting valiantly to get to Sam, Merry and Ori, all of whom had been thrown over shoulders of equally grotesque creatures, every single person screaming and yelling in confusion and fear. Stephanie had been pulled out of Dori’s car and was being dragged by her arms, hysterical sobs of gibberish spilling from her.

 

The creature hooked onto Sera and Pippin barked an order at the others in some sort of growled language before yanking forcefully on Sera’s hair and hoodie once more. “No, let us go!” Sera began to struggle once more, and clung to Pippin, not letting the little boy go for all she was worth.

 

“Mommy!” Pippin hadn’t stopped screaming since this attack had started, and he had begun to sob and shake. “Hold onto me, don’t let go, no matter what,” Sera chanted to him, then screamed when another creature came around a tree and grabbed for Pippin. The little boy shrieked in terror and clung tighter to Sera, fingers scrabbling to dig into her as he was forcefully yanked from her arms.

 

“Give him back you bastards!” Sera shouted once more, renewing her struggles to reclaim the boy. “Let him g—“ she broke off with a gasp when she felt something collide with her head. Sharp pain raced through her as her vision wined in and out, and her struggling ceased. The last she saw before darkness take hold of her was trees rushing by, and the sounds of her group screaming in their terror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Dramatic music*  
> More to come soon, dear followers of this fic~


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Contains cannibalism and terror.

_She opened her eyes, panting heavily against the oppressive expanse of the cavern. Her eyes took in the dim light of the few torches, the dank walls and dirty floor she lay upon. She sat up slowly, struggling to repress a shudder of fear, glancing around. “F-Fili?” she called, standing slowly. “Fili?! Fili!”_

_She cried out repeatedly, spinning in a circle as she looked for a way out. She felt tears form in her eyes, and her breath began to come faster and faster. “Please, Fili, answer me,” she whispered, her voice catching._

_“Sera!” she whirled around when she finally heard his voice, and gave a slight sob before she ran forward. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her, and she hugged him back tightly. “Fili, where am I?” she whispered, hot tears spilling down her cheeks._

_She felt one of his hands rise to gently wipe away her tears, and she looked up at him, noting the sorrow and worry in his gaze. “You’ve been pulled into the Middle Earth,” he told her gravely. “You and your friends are now in my world, captured by the orcs, the one of the enemies of the free people of Arda.”_

_“Arda? Middle Earth? Orcs?” she questioned, trying to wrap her mind around the thought. Fili nodded, his arms tightening briefly. “Arda is what we call our world, the land between the planes of your world is called Middle Earth, where we are now.”_

_“Are you really here with me?” she hoped. He sighed, a long, sorrowful thing, and shook his head. “I am here with you in your dreams, but not directly there with you in body. I do however know the location of you and your friends just by connecting with you spiritually.”_

_While her face fell at him not really being there with her, she perked up a bit that he knew where they were. “Can you help us?” she whispered. “Please, I don’t want my friends to die, Fili. Please help us.”_

_He pulled her close once more, and she felt his lips brush the top of her sore head while his arms rubbed her back soothingly. “We will be on our way the moment you wake, I promise, Azyungal. But right now, you are needed among your friends. The little ones are crying for you to wake, and your older friends are terrified.”_

_She nodded her head, understanding, but still felt fear. “What’s going to happen to us?” she asked, worried about the answer, but needing to know what to expect._

_She felt him growl, his chest reverberating with it as he spoke. “They have not had so many females in a group before,” he said slowly. “They will keep you alive, for now. As for the males of your group, I cannot be certain, but know that it cannot be good. I am sorry, Sera.”_

_She let out a shuddering breath, feeling fear course through her once more before she nodded her head and stepped back. “I’m going to do all I can to protect them,” she owed, a glint of anger shimmering in her eyes. “Just hurry as soon as you can. We’ll hold on for you.”_

_She stepped back, and saw he wore a small smile of pride. He bent slightly to brush a feather-light kiss upon her lips, and closed her eyes at the feeling. “Wake now, Sera. We will come for you all . . . I will come for you.”_

_***_

“Mommy, please wake up!”

 

“Sera, c’mon Hun, you gotta open your eyes!”

 

“Aunt Sera, I’m really scared right now . . .”

 

Giving a slight moan as pain radiated through her head, Sera slowly opened her eyes to see her friends surrounding her prone form. She blinked her eyes in the dim light, and gingerly lifted a hand to the back of her head, wincing when it came away with spots of blood. Slowly, she sat up with the help of Bilbo and Dori, nodding lightly in thanks. She heard Pippin give a soft sob, and opened her arms for the boys, all of them pale and eyes shimmering with tears.

 

They lurched forward, and Sera found her arms full of whimpering children. She wrapped her arms around them the best she could, trying to soothe them as best she could.

 

“What the hell are those things,” she heard Ori whisper. She looked over and saw Tauriel with her, arms wrapped tightly around each other as they looked around the small cavern in fear. Both looked disheveled, but no worse for the wear, Sera sighed in relief. Nori seemed the worst off, sporting a bloody, broken nose, busted lips, and a gash across the forehead. Bilbo and Dori looked nearly as bad, the latter wincing whenever he shifted from his spot next to her.

 

“What happened?” Sera asked quickly. Bilbo shook his head as he carefully extracted Frodo from her grip, whom clung to the older man, whimpering slightly. “Those, those _things_ just came out of nowhere,” he said sadly. “They dragged or carried us into the woods, before we suddenly found ourselves crossing some kind of barrier into who knows where! Then they shoved into this cave and slammed those bars shut—“ he indicated the cell door on the far side of the small cavern—“and left us here.”

 

Sera closed her eyes and took a breath, holding Pippin close as Merry and Sam released her and returned to Ori and Tauriel, whom wrapped their arms around them. “Well, I think I can answer some of that,” she announced, and felt them all stare at her. “We’re in the land Middle Earth, in the world of Arda. Those things that kidnapped us are orcs.”

 

Pippin looked up at Sera questioningly. “How do you know what the monsters are?” he asked her curiously. Sera sighed and brushed some of his unruly red curls out of his face. “I’ve been having dreams for the last year about a man with wings,” she said. “His name is Fili, and he told me about these things before I woke up. He promised that help is on the way, and i-I believe him.” She swallowed lightly. “I know it sounds absolutely crazy, but he warned me about this camping trip, and I didn’t believe him then.” She snorted derisively. “Look where that got us.”

 

“It’s not your fault, Sera,” Nori spoke up, lips cracking open again. “I was the one that insisted we come to the Dark Entry Forest, that’s on me.”

 

“No, it’s no one’s fault,” Dori replied, looking around. “No one could have foreseen this happening, pinning the blame or taking credit doesn’t do any good right now.” He looked down at Sera. “This . . . Fili, is it?” at her nod, he continued. “I’ll believe you, because we could all use some hope right now. Did he say when he’d be coming?”

 

Sera nodded her head in thanks, ignoring the throb it sent through her. “Yes, he said he’ll come for us as soon as I woke. He’ll come for us, and get us out of here, I know it.”

 

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps echo through the cavern, and the group scrambled together. The cell door opened after a moment, and two of those nasty-looking creatures came in, dragging something between them. It was then that Sera was startled to notice that Stephanie Porter wasn’t among their group.

 

She was thrown to the floor before them, and she heard the orcs converse between them. She made no notice of the two orcs above her, nor of the group Sera was part of. Sera had a sinking feeling that she was beyond reaching at that point.

 

One of the orcs gestured to Stephanie’s curled up form, snickering darkly. The other grinned just as maliciously before kicking Stephanie hard. The woman grunted, but otherwise stayed where she was, eyes widened by insanity.

 

The two orcs bent down to Stephanies level, and suddenly Sera realized that something awful was about to happen. “Boy, don’t you look, you don’t look no matter what, do you understand me?” she started saying, burying Pippin’s face into her chest. The boy whimpered loudly and covered his ears, sobbing loudly. “Merry, don’t look, cover your eyes, you keep turned to Ori, promise me you won’t look, please don’t look!”

 

The others caught on, and began talking loudly, blocking the children from view. Sera suddenly heard Stephanie scream aloud, and her head whipped over to see what was happening. Her stomach churned once more as the orcs suddenly began tearing at Stephanie’s skin, peeling it away from the bone and devouring it in delight, but she fought back the bile and spoke loudly, nearly in hysterics. “Boys, you keep your eyes closed, cover your ears, don’t look!”

 

The two orcs laughed loudly and continued their macabre feast, holding the now struggling woman down as they continued to rip her flesh apart and swallow it down their throats.

 

“Jesus, don’t look at them Sera, look away!” Nori barked, his face bloodless before he turned her head to his chest. She could dimly hear the others encouraging the others and the boys especially not to look, and felt hot tears running down her cheeks for the poor woman.

 

On and on it continued, the screaming, the sounds of wet devouring, the tears, before it finally, _finally_ stopped. Sera felt her throat was raw from her tears and screaming, and peeked over Nori’s shoulder briefly at the terrifying sight before her.

 

There was barely anything left, twisted limbs missing large chunks of flesh, eyes sightless and mouth gaping open. Sera’s eyes slid to the two orcs, who gave twisted, bloodstained grins before lifting the body between them and shuffling out the door with it. The cell closed with a loud clang, and they were left with blissful silence once more.

 

Sera tightened her hold on Pippin and Nori, and her eyes slid shut against the horror they witnessed. Silently, she prayed to whatever god was watching over them for Fili to hurry, before anything as vicious as what had occurred happened again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, i'm a sick and twisted individual. Don't worry, help is on the way, I promise!

**Author's Note:**

> I literally spent hours looking for a creepy forest for the setting before I finally found one that I liked. I happened to glance at an article out of curiosity, and finally decided that this was the one I wanted to use. This is a real place, and is absolutely forbidden to go through. This fic is purely that, a fanfic, so while I used a lot of information from this article, most of what happens in this fic are purely my imagination.
> 
> Here's a link to the article that was a major inspiration for this fic:
> 
> http://www.prairieghosts.com/dudleytown.html
> 
> Commentary is welcome and absolutely appreciated :D


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